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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 27312

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its North Carolina rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

Schools

3,865

Students

Districts

5-star school

Top rankedChatham Grove Elementary73^rd of 1,492 North Carolina elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Seaforth High up 42 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Willow Oak Montessori 9.7 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

See the top-ranked North Carolina schools →

Summary:

ZIP code 27312, serving the Pittsboro area of central North Carolina, contains 7 schools — 4 elementary, 1 middle, and 2 high schools — enrolling 3,865 students. Six belong to Chatham County Schools, a 4-star district ranked 62nd of 246 statewide, while Willow Oak Montessori is a public charter school with its own 3-star district ranking.

Chatham Grove Elementary is the clear elementary standout: ranked 73rd of 1,492 statewide (95th percentile, 5 stars), it posts 90% proficiency in 3rd-grade math, an 84.4% reading rate, and just 10.0% chronic absenteeism. Seaforth High leads the high schools, outperforming Northwood High on nearly every measure; ranked 158th of 662, Seaforth has improved for three straight years and posts an 85.6% English II proficiency rate. Perry W Harrison Elementary is a high-poverty success story, ranking 196th of 1,492 with 82% 3rd-grade math proficiency despite nearly 99% free/reduced lunch eligibility. George M. Horton Middle is the area's sole middle school, ranking 122nd of 778 after three consecutive years of improvement and posting reading proficiency in the low-to-mid 70s across all grades.

The most significant challenges are math transitions and attendance. Math I is the weakest subject at both high schools — 54.2% at Seaforth High and 41.9% at Northwood High, the latter below the state average — while 8th-grade math is George M. Horton Middle's lowest score at 57.1%. Willow Oak Montessori has the most uneven profile: its 35.9% chronic absenteeism is more than triple Chatham Grove's, and 4th-grade math sits at just 32.1%, yet 8th-grade reading and science reach excellent 87.5% rates. Elsewhere, chronic absenteeism is healthy, ranging from 10.0% at Chatham Grove Elementary to 19.4% at George M. Horton Middle, well below the district's 21.4% and the state's 24.2%. Finally, a sharp socioeconomic divide exists — free/reduced lunch rates are 18–20% at Chatham Grove Elementary and Seaforth High, but near 99% at Northwood High, Pittsboro Elementary, George M. Horton Middle, and Perry W Harrison Elementary — high-poverty schools that nevertheless exceed many state proficiency averages.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOC Biology (2026)	EOC English II (2026)	EOC Math I (2026)	EOC Math III (2026)	EOG Mathematics (2026)						EOG Reading (2026)						EOG Science (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Willow Oak Montessori	Public, Charter	K-8	1476 Andrews Store Road	Pittsboro	27312	Chatham County	Willow Oak Montessori	Yes	No	No	No	(919) 240-7787	281	29	9.7		227 (80.8%)	1 (0.4%)	20 (7.1%)	6 (2.1%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (8.9%)	49.9	729^th of 1492 public elementary schools	51.1%		53.3	685^th of 1490 public elementary schools	54.0%	44					62.2	32.1	45.5	51.9	57.1	56.3	70.3	71.4	63.6	59.3	57.1	87.5	57.6	87.5
George M. Horton Middle	Public	5-8	79 Horton Road	Pittsboro	27312	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 542-2303	414	27	15.4	99.3%	217 (52.4%)	78 (18.8%)	70 (16.9%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (10.1%)	80.7	122^nd of 778 public middle schools	84.3%		80.5	134^th of 773 public middle schools	82.7%	12							75.0	76.7	74.0	57.1			72.2	76.7	73.8	70.7	74.1	78.3	$9,575	$632	$8,943
Northwood High	Public	9-12	310 Northwood High School Road	Pittsboro	27312	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 542-4181	634	49	12.9	99.5%	387 (61.0%)	100 (15.8%)	94 (14.8%)	6 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.5%)	43 (6.8%)	63.6	228^th of 662 public high schools	65.6%		58.2	239^th of 641 public high schools	62.7%	11	73.0	81.1	41.9	72.2															$9,555	$397	$9,159
Pittsboro Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	375 Pittsboro School Road	Pittsboro	27312	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 542-3987	503	38	13.3	99.4%	275 (54.7%)	108 (21.5%)	74 (14.7%)	5 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (8.0%)	75	321^st of 1492 public elementary schools	78.5%		73.7	334^th of 1490 public elementary schools	77.6%	13					70.7	73.9					66.7	69.3							$11,009	$698	$10,311
Perry W Harrison Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2655 Hamlet Chapel Road	Pittsboro	27312	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 967-9925	262	20	12.8	98.9%	188 (71.8%)	19 (7.3%)	26 (9.9%)	8 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	20 (7.6%)	83.5	196^th of 1492 public elementary schools	86.9%		88.4	132^nd of 1490 public elementary schools	91.1%	64					82.0	78.3	81.1				66.0	67.4	78.4				81.1		$9,108	$369	$8,739
Chatham Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1301 Andrews Store Rd	Pittsboro	27312	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 642-7069	683	42	16.2	18.0%	496 (72.6%)	46 (6.7%)	81 (11.9%)	29 (4.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.2%)	92.9	73^rd of 1492 public elementary schools	95.1%		89.6	113^th of 1490 public elementary schools	92.4%	40					90.0	83.3	81.1				84.4	78.7	85.5				89.2
Seaforth High	Public	9-12	444 Seaforth Rd	Pittsboro	27312	Chatham County	Chatham County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 642-7095	1,088	57	19.0	20.0%	720 (66.2%)	62 (5.7%)	216 (19.9%)	30 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.4%)	55 (5.1%)	75.7	158^th of 662 public high schools	76.1%		65.8	200^th of 641 public high schools	68.8%	42	76.5	85.6	54.2	85.4

Cities Near Zip Code 27312

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Pittsboro	2.16 mi	7	86^th
Chapel Hill	3.75 mi	22	59^th
Carrboro	9.2 mi	3	103^rd
Moncure	9.81 mi	1	170^th
Apex	10.95 mi	23	26^th

See the top NC North Carolina cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.